General Articles by M. E. K.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 27, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 21.

General Articles

By M. E. K.

“Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

THE NECESSITY OF FAITH.

IT is said of Jesus at one place during his ministry that “he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:5, 6.

It will be seen by this that the work of Jesus when he was personally here on the earth was, to some extent at least, affected by the condition and the attitude of those who heard him. God was as ready to work through Christ in one place and at one time as at another. It was not God’s intention to shower blessings upon the people of Galilee and refuse to do the same for those of Nazareth and Capernaum. His tender mercies are over all his works. Jesus came with blessings to all.

But since there is only one avenue by which these blessings may be received by us,—the avenue of faith,—it sometimes happens that one people were blessed and another people were passed by. After a large multitude had received the spiritual bread which he broke for them, it was easy for him so to increase a few loaves and fishes that their physical wants also might be satisfied. Faith to be healed was the first requisite to the miracle of healing. “And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” Matt. 8:2, 3. It was easy for Jesus to do mighty works when there was, on the part of those who listened to his words, a certainty of faith that he could and would do the works. The “few sick folk” which he healed in Nazareth were healed because their faith grasped the promise of God. No doubt there were many others there who needed the divine healing, both in body and soul, but looking upon Jesus’ apparent origin, his humble life, and the poverty and obscurity of his family, they would not believe, and so they actually hedged up the way of the Lord in that place. The Lord marveled at their unbelief.

Since unbelief is the same in all ages, it is reasonable to conclude that the Lord has marveled many times at the perverseness of mankind in refusing to believe the evidences that he places before them. The letter to the Hebrews cites the example of the children of Israel, who, because of their unbelief, fell in the wilderness, and then gives this word of admonition: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Heb. 3:12, 13.

The danger of unbelief, and the result,—being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,—never was greater than at the present time. The careless people of the world unite in saying, “Where is the promise of his coming.” The danger that the people of God,—those who profess to believe that Christ’s coming is near, will partake of this careless, worldly spirit and lose sight of the solemn nature of the work of God in the closing days of time, is so great that to them a special exhortation is given: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life,

and so that day come upon you unawares.” Luke 21:34.

If the day of God comes upon the world and finds them unprepared, it will be because they have not heeded the warning given them. They have not believed. Evidences were presented to them, but in their blindness of unbelief they understood them not. Take those whom Lot tried to warn; the warning seemed to them but mockery. The warning was heard. In it was the voice of Jesus pleading as in days of old, but unbelief barred every avenue to their hearts. Thus the majority of the professed followers of Christ do not know that the coming of the Lord is near. Their unbelief prevents them from seeing fulfilments of prophecy of the most startling character. No doubt the Lord marvels at this unbelief. But there is another exhibition of unbelief that is quite common among those who claim to be looking for the Lord.

It is the unbelief that denies the power of Christ to save from all sin, an unbelief that tries to hold to something else than the righteousness of Jesus Christ to prepare a people to stand when he shall appear, a looking to self rather than to “Jesus the author and finisher of our faith,” and thus while not in words denying the Master, and his power to save, does so in fact, by denying that which alone will prepare them to stand approved by him at his coming. Jesus wants to do mighty works among the remnant who are heralding to the nations of the earth the news of his speedy return. He will do it for those who believe and trust him fully. They will receive the “spirit of adoption,” whereby they will be enabled to cry, “Abba, Father.” His glory will be seen upon them. These words of Paul will be fulfilled in them: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” The power of God will be revealed from faith to faith. Faith starts us in the Christian course, and nothing but the same faith will keep us in the way unto the end.

Faith is the life of the Christian; they live by faith. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4. We must take his words in simple faith as the words of God to us. That word, fully received, changes sinful human nature into the likeness of the Son of God. So the apostle expressed this wish: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Eph. 3:17-19.

This is the fulness that we need, that Jesus, at his coming, may see in us a reflection of his own blessed image. Only by faith can this experience be ours. Unbelief now, as in former days, prevents this work from being accomplished in many hearts, and it is being recorded on the pages of the record books of heaven that the mighty work which Jesus desired to do for them to fit them for a place in his kingdom, can not be done for them “because of their unbelief.” O, that all those that claim to believe the great truths for this time might give themselves to the Lord, with unwavering faith, believing all he has done and all he promises to do for them. Then would their faith place them in such close connection with God that the fruits of the Spirit would be seen, and God’s Word and works be manifested in their lives.

M. E. K.